Empires at War: A Chronological Encyclopedia (3 Vol Set) [Hardcover]

Richard A. Gabriel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0313332150 | ISBN-13: 978-0313332159

For more than 5,000 years, massive empires have met on the battlefield to determine the future course of world history. Ranging from Sumer, the world's first imperial state, to the fall of the Byzantine Empire, this comprehensive three-volume set, which includes both Western and non-Western empires, details the military capabilities of these empires, including the armies, soldiers, technologies, and commanders that powered the imperial juggernaut. From the Near East to Asia, from Western Europe to the New World, these empires spawned every major social institution on which modern society is based, including the first use of total war. With more than 400 illustrations and maps, this set reveals the awesome and destructive power of these early forces, from the dawn of recorded history to the development of gunpowder.

Volume I: From the first clashes of the Sumerian Empire in 4000 B.C.E., to the destruction of the Persian Empire, volume one includes all the major imperial entities from Europe to Asia, including the Egyptians, the Hittites, the Israelites; China, India, Persia, and classical Greece. Students will find the historical context within which the empire emerged, an examination of the imperial army, including structure, weapons, tactics, logistics, and manner of warfare; a detailed analysis of at least one major battle; an analysis of the rival commanders; and a section on the lessons of war. Each volume contains more than 100 illustrations, maps, and figures that demonstrate manner of dress, weaponry, imperial location, and course of the battle. Every chapter contains suggestions for further reading. Volume II: Until its destruction by the Romans in 146 B.C.E., Carthage was the primary naval empire of the Mediterranean world. The Norman victory at Hastings in 1066 C.E. was one of the most important events in the Medieval world and resulted in the creation of the modern state of Great Britain. Volume two covers vast territory from Imperial Rome to Korea, including chapters on the Huns, the Arabs, the Barbarians, the Vikings, and the Franks. Students will find the historical context within which the empire emerged, an examination of the imperial army, including structure, weapons, tactics, logistics, and manner of warfare; a detailed analysis of at least one major battle; an analysis of the rival commanders; and a section on the lessons of war. Each volume contains more than 100 illustrations, maps, and figures that demonstrate manner of dress, weaponry, imperial location, and course of the battle. Every chapter contains suggestions for further reading. Volume III: Examining the major events of the Middle Ages, from Europe to the major empires of Asia and the Americas, volume three takes readers from the age of the Medieval knight to the fall of Constantinople in 1453 C.E. Western sections detail the Crusades and the Hundred Years War, while non-Western chapters cover the Japanese, the Mongols and the Ottomans in Asia and the American empires of the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas. Students will find the historical context within which the empire emerged, an examination of the imperial army, including structure, weapons, tactics, logistics, and manner of warfare; a detailed analysis of at least one major battle; an analysis of the rival commanders; and a section on the lessons of war. Each volume contains more than 100 illustrations, maps, and figures that demonstrate manner of dress, weaponry, imperial location, and course of the battle. Every chapter contains suggestions for further reading.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This encyclopedia deals with the sometimes epic wars waged by empires from 4000 B.C.E to 1453 C.E. Chapter length ranges from around 13 to more than 60 pages, with the longest belonging to the Persian Empire's wars with Alexander the Great and the Carthaginian Empire's wars with Rome. Other chapters cover, for example, the Vikings, the Arab Conquest, and lesser-known empires such as the Mitanni. Gabriel, a former professor at the U.S. Army War College, has written other books on warfare for Greenwood, including The Great Battles of Antiquity (1994) and The Military History of Ancient Israel (1993).

The work begins with an introductory chapter that sets the stage and concludes with a chapter that summarizes the evolution from medieval to modern warfare. The 29 intervening chapters are in chronological order, by beginning date of the empire. Each chapter has sections on background, specific battles and armies, commanders, and "Lessons of War," encompassing strategy and tactics. Each chapter ends with a further reading list, but there is no comprehensive bibliography at the end of the work. Coverage is global and includes non-Western empires such as those of Japan and Korea. There is also a chapter dedicated to three empires from the Americas and their warfare: the Aztecs, the Incas, and the Mayas. Each volume contains more than 100 maps, illustrations, and figures, though some of the maps are small and somewhat difficult to read.

A glossary would have been helpful for some of the terms included. So would separate name and place indexes and perhaps a brief chronology or time line. Nonetheless, this is a very comprehensive work that delivers the content. Many reference works deal with battles of antiquity or with the great empires of the world, but this encyclopedia manages to combine these concepts with ease and makes for captivating reading. Recommended for anyone interested in the history of warfare and for undergraduate and large public libraries. Susanna Eng
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Empires at War offers a comprehensive treatment and discussion of the civilizations, battles, and leaders from ancient times. Gabriel draws upon a wealth of sources and writes a book that both general readers and researchers will find complete and readable. The book is full of useful illustrations, logically organized, and amply cross-referenced. This source is a valuable addition to public, research, and academic libraries. - Karen S. Metz, author, From Sumer to Rome: Military Capabilities of Ancient Armies

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1050 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood (December 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313332150
• ISBN-13: 978-0313332159
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 3.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,176,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some Initial Thoughts, July 11, 2005

By 

Polymath (Ithaca NY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Empires at War: A Chronological Encyclopedia (3 Vol Set) (Hardcover)

I received this 3-volume set a few days ago, and have not read it all, roughly about one-fourth of it. It is the kind of reading one can dip into at just about any point, and I have read those sections that I was particularly interested in: the near eastern ancient world up to the Alexander, and the empire of Attila. I wish Amazon had the table of contents posted, as that reflects the structure of the books; essentially, that the author uses important battles as his climaxes, with material on strategy, tactics, logistics, etc leading up to the battle descriptions, which are then followed by a discussion of the commanders involved in the battle.

Importantly, the books cover "empires" and not "kingdoms", except as brief background. So Assyria is not covered directly until it becomes an "empire" in the late 8th century BCE, and Byzantium until its fall seems not to be covered directly at all. Roman history essentially begins with Hannibal's invasion, at which point the author apparently deems Rome has become an empire. Though many battles of the Roman Civil Wars of Caesar and Augustus are covered, the Roman Empire itself is covered rather briefly, with Teutoburger Wald and Adrianople being the only battles discussed in detail for the first four centuries CE. (The author uses the BCE, CE dating notation.) Then Chalons is covered in the section on the Huns.

The discussion of Chalons raises some questions I have about the books. The author gives a detailed blow-by-blow account of the battle, whereas several other scholarly books on the subject state that not enough is known about the battle to permit a reconstruction. Since the author gives nary a footnote stating his rationales anywhere in the three volumes, and does not discuss his reasoning in the text itself, it is impossible to tell whether the author's account of Chalons is based on new research, the author's best guess, or just the author's imagination.

Be that as it may, the text of the book reads very easily; I found myself able to bite off huge chunks of it in rather brief sittings. There are also adequate maps and illustrations, but no index. I did note during the discussion of Gaugamela that the author apparently became confused between the left and right wing of the Persian army, and in the discussion of early Egypt he implied that Palestine is to the west of Egypt. So the books must be read with a bit of care, and in fact do not provide a complete military history from 4000 BCE to 1453 CE, but rather detailed snippets of particular times, which, of course, is just what the author intended.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars expensive bummer, August 6, 2007

By 

Dark41 "The Dark Goalie" (SLC, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empires at War: A Chronological Encyclopedia (3 Vol Set) (Hardcover)

This is a decent survey of ancient warfare. I was very dissappointed due to so many important battles which are missing from the book.

The graphics and maps are POOR quality. For the cost, there should be some color, it should all be printed on higher quality paper, and what is black and white should be of much higher quality.

I found the presentation cumbersome, this is written for upper eschelon military leaders. I spent a long time in the military, I found this to have the feel of arrogant field grade officers' typical approach to report writing, over the academic format I expected.

A lot of important information is lost in translation, and the effort does not feel as though the subjects of the battles which are addressed are appropriately researched or presented.

This set, is WAY too expensive for what you get. Far better to look at individual volumes from the Cambridge Ancient History!

* for cost
* for quality of paper and graphics
*** for battles that are presented
0* for battles missing
* for historical context presentation
** for binding